South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is a member of the county’s Local Resilience Forum (LRF). The other agencies involved in the LRF include the four South Yorkshire Local Authorities, Police, Ambulance Service, Environment Agency, NHS, Strategic Health Authority and the Health Protection Agency.

The Civil Contingencies Act defines a major emergency as any event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare in a place in the United Kingdom, the environment of a place in the United Kingdom, or war, or terrorism, which threatens serious damage to the security of the United Kingdom.

In the event of an emergency of this nature, the key agencies listed above will be working hard to ensure your safety, as evidenced during the floods across South Yorkshire in 2007.

There are some simple things you can do yourself to help stay safe in an emergency:

• Keep a list of useful telephone numbers you may need in an emergency readily available.
• Make arrangements with friends, neighbours or relatives for temporary accommodation if needed.
• If you check your latest utility bills you will find up to date emergency numbers and advice - keep this information near your phone.
• Keep a set of emergency provisions in a convenient location in your home and ensure you all know where it is. Provisions could include: medication and prescriptions; warm clothing and/or blankets; canned food and bottled water; torch and batteries / candles and matches; basic cutlery and tin opener; portable radio and batteries (or a wind-up radio) .
• Listen to date information provided by local radio stations and through local press.

Remember - GO IN, STAY IN, TUNE IN